The high dose of chlorine and dead algae spores suspended in your water will make it look really cloudy right after shocking. That's completely normal. Fortunately, you don't have skim all of it out by hand. Run your filtration system overnight (or for at least eight hours) until your pool water isn't cloudy anymore.
Insufficient chlorine in your pool
When you add a bag of salt into the water sodium chloride dissolves and splits into two separate parts – sodium and chloride ions. Chloride won't kill algae, it needs to be turned into chlorine to do this. This is the job of the chlorinator in your pool.
Lower pH by adding muriatic acid or sodium disulfide to the water, and raise it by adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or soda ash (sodium carbonate). Check the total alkalinity of the pool water before raising pH. If it's near the acceptable range of 80 to 120 ppm, use soda ash.
Should the green be due to pollen, there may be little to do in the way of minimizing the discoloration short of erecting a building around the pool. Fortunately, assuming there are no allergies to the pollen, it is safe to swim in a pool with that as the cause for green water.
The free chlorine levels might be low.
But be careful—adding too much chlorine in pool water can cause those metals to oxidize and turn the pool a different shade of green.
If your chlorine levels are particularly low, you can shock your pool. This will kill off any algae and organic matter in the pool and rapidly increase the chlorine levels. It's also OK to manually add regular pool chlorine for a quick fix. You can use liquid chlorine, chlorine tablets or powdered chlorine.
So, not only is shocking a saltwater pool okay, but it's actually important to your pool's health. Shocking is the process in which you overload your pool with chlorine (3-5 times the normal amount) to improve your pool's cleanliness and kill off organic matter.
A little bit of extra salt in your pool doesn't generally result in any concerning issues. However, putting in excessive amounts of salt, resulting in salt levels 5000 ppm or more, can lead to corrosion of your metal pool equipment. Not to mention, having too much salt will also make the pool saltier.
Yes, a salt water pool has a reduced cost of operation as compared to a traditional chlorinated pool. This cost savings is primarily because chlorine is generated from salt and there is no need to buy chlorine. Additionally, salt water pools require fewer chemicals to keep the water clean and clear.
What's important for you to know: You shouldn't swim in a pool that's green until you test the chemical levels, like the officials in Rio did before the diving event began. It's the balance of things like chlorine, pH, and alkalinity in a pool that keeps it sterilized.
Annual booster additions of pool salt are usually required, but only to replace salt lost from backwashing, splashout or lowering the water for winter. If you fully drain the pool for maintenance, you will need to replace all of the pool salt. Over a ten-year timespan, the cost of a salt water pool vs.
If the salt cell bubbles, but only a little bit, then you probably have a bad cell. It is still a good idea to call a pool professional to confirm this diagnosis. If the salt cell bubbles vigorously, then it is working fine.
The ideal salt level is between 2700-3400 ppm (parts per million) with 3200 ppm being optimal. Before adding salt to your pool, test the water to check your salt level. If the level is low, determine the number of gallons in the pool and add salt according to the chart below.
If you have a saltwater pool, your best bet is EasyCare PoolTec. This all-star algaecide that controls and prevents green algae, mustard algae, and black algae while delivering beautiful water clarity. Additionally, it's designed to boost the effectiveness of chlorine in pools that use saltwater chlorinators.
Sometimes a saltwater pool's chlorinator isn't creating enough chlorine, and the water can become cloudy or develop algae. When this happens, a bit of chlorine can save the day, said Hunker. You can add extra chlorine to the pool through calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, or chlorine tablets.
Generally, it's recommended to wait about 10 minutes between adding each pool chemical. Some pool chemicals like pool salt and cyanuric acid take longer to dissolve in the pool water. The aim is to avoid strong concentrations of chemicals mixing together.
Low chlorine level is the primary cause of cloudy water. Firstly, ensure that pH is stable between 7.4 and 7.6, and then balance your free chlorine to read 3 ppm; combined chlorine should be at 0 ppm.
Baking Soda and Green, Blue, or Yellow Algae
You'll need to use an algaecide to kill the algae and superchlorinate your pool to clear the water. After this treatment, test your pH and alkalinity and add baking soda to raise alkalinity to at least 100 ppm and pH to between 7.2 and 7.8.
There is a short answer: YES, IT WILL turn green if you don't add chlorine. Pool water must have a sanitizer or something that will kill bacteria and algae. Algaecide alone without chlorine will not prevent the pool from turning green.
Generally, a salt cell lasts for about 10,000 hours, which is usually around five years for most home pool owners. If your cell is close to or exceeds the 10,000-hour mark, and you notice any of the above signs, it could very well need replacement.
This is all possible thanks to your pool's salt chlorine generator cell. With proper care, a cell will last about five years. Eventually, though, it will need to be replaced. The trick is, it's not always easy to know when it's time.
3400 is the recomended high limit, but the readings on the panel are notoriously inaccurate. Generally it's better to have the level on the high side than low, so 3800 should be fine.